Local literacy nonprofit donates to Cambeiro Elementary

By Paul Takahashi

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 | 4:30 p.m.

A Las Vegas elementary school is being adopted by a local nonprofit organization that provides literacy programs to children from low-income families.

Arturo Cambeiro Elementary School, 2851 E. Harris Ave., is the 22nd elementary school being adopted by the Spread the Word Nevada, Inc.

The nonprofit’s partner, the Tony and Renee Marlon Charitable Foundation, is donating $25,000 to Spread the Word, which will use the funds to provide Cambeiro students with a number of literacy services.

Students will receive books on a monthly basis through Spread the Word’s Kids to Kids program. The organization will also provide students with monthly breakfast and family reading events as part of its Breakfast with Books program. Furthermore, selected students with reading challenges will have the opportunity to work with reading mentors through Spread the Word Nevada’s Books and Buddies program.

Cambeiro will celebrate its adoption with a kick off ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday when approximately 680 students will each receive a reading bag with five books to start their home libraries.

Representatives from the nonprofit and its foundation partner will be in attendance, as well as football players from the Las Vegas Locomotives, who will help distribute the books and speak to students about the importance of reading.

Since its founding in 2001, Spread the Word Nevada has distributed more than 1.5 million gently used and new books to approximately 171,000 underprivileged youth in Southern Nevada. For more information about the nonprofit organization, visit www.spreadthewordnevada.org.